Abstract
The seabed included in the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has proper conditions to originate and host different ore deposits, but its geological knowledge is scarce and scattered. The existent studies are very limited in terms of geochemical and mineralogical analyses. The most significant non-energetic mineral resources off Chile correspond to Fe-Mn nodules and crusts, phosphorite deposits, gold and titanium placer deposits and massive sulfide deposits. Fe-Mn nodule sites occur in abyssal plains and seamounts, and around volcanic islands, at depths from 2,890 to 4,332 m, and can contain important concentrations of Cu and Ni (up to 1.38% Cu+Ni) and Co (up to 0.53%). Co-rich Fe-Mn crust occurrences have been reported around the Rapanui and Salas y Gómez islands, with Cu+Ni contents up to 0.3%. Phosphorite sites occur in Holocene sedimentary beds of the continental shelf off Peru and northern Chile, with P2O5 average content of 22.6%. Gold placer deposits are found in beaches and channels of southern Chile and may extend offshore probably in submarine canyons. Titanium placer deposits have been evaluated in different beaches of Chile and could also be continued offshore. Platinum anomalies have been found in channels and bays of southernmost Chile. No samples of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) mineralization are known in the Chilean EEZ to date. However, samples of hydrothermal vents, with potential for polymetallic VMS type mineralization, have been recovered around the Rapanui Island, and several seamount and volcanic island chains indicate favorable conditions for formation and preservation of these ore-deposits. The available geological information on the seabed of the Chilean EEZ is insufficient to estimate the real potential of its non-energetic mineral resources.
Highlights
The interest for submarine mineral resources has expanded rapidly with improved understanding of the evolution of the Earth and the access of new technologies to explore the seabed, and due to the need for reposition of land resources (e.g., Lusty and Murton, 2018)
The seabed included in the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has proper conditions to originate and host different ore deposits, but its geological knowledge is scarce and scattered
No samples of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide (VMS) mineralization are known in the Chilean EEZ to date
Summary
The interest for submarine mineral resources has expanded rapidly with improved understanding of the evolution of the Earth and the access of new technologies to explore the seabed, and due to the need for reposition of land resources (e.g., Lusty and Murton, 2018). 360 km from the coast line) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has so far given 29 exploration contracts in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, for more than 390.000 square miles for 15 years each one (ISA, 2018) These areas until today have not resulted in economically viable projects because of grade/tonnage relationship of ore-bodies, extraction/processing costs and environmental restrictions. The knowledge about the potential for mineral resources, especially nonenergetic, in this EEZ and surrounding sectors, is scarce and scattered, and exploration efforts have been few and poorly documented This is largely due to the wealth of mineral resources being exploited on land and the high cost of marine geological exploration, which usually include access to deep drill holes, shallow gravity cores in sediments (
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